Technical Field
The present invention relates to an emergency communications system. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for a personal monitoring and emergency communications system and method for facilitating the prompt locating, diagnosing and initial treating of monitored patients in medical emergencies where a typical monitored patient is for example, physically injured, mentally impaired and lost, underage and lost, or a civil servant performing her duties.
Background Art
Medical emergencies occur on a regular basis. Of primary significance to the full recovery of a patient in many of these emergencies is obtaining prompt medical attention. Consequently, in the event of a medical emergency, the response time in locating, diagnosing and initially treating the patient may be critical. Quicker response times typically results in preventing long term disabilities and even death. As a result, any system designed to reduce the initial response time in locating, diagnosing and initially treating the patient is significant.
Devices intended to assist injured persons, the elderly, and infants have been known in the past. Such devices have been available to the public in various embodiments including wall mounted monitoring devices, pendants worn by the patient or attached to the patient's clothing, and even wrist worn devices. Typically, these devices are either electrically hard wired (as with a wall mounted unit for monitoring an infant from an adjacent room), or are battery operated. The prior art devices worn on the person typically are in signal communication with a monitoring service and include an emergency communication button or panic button which can be depressed by a patient in the case of an emergency situation (e.g., for example, a fall by an elderly patient) if the patient is conscious. In some cases, the communication link can accommodate audio voice frequencies which enables the monitoring personnel to verbally communicate with the patient after the patient has actuated the emergency communication button. The monitoring service usually can identify the patient by identifying the communication circuit that is actuated when the patient depresses the emergency communication button. That way, the monitoring service can dispatch medical response personnel to the site of the injured patient.
Consequently, it is believed that many of the prior art designs are limited to signal and/or verbal communications between the monitoring service and the monitored patient. It should be understood that many patients now suffer from mental disability in addition to physical impairment. Such mental disability or impairment may manifest itself in the form of memory loss as is associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Thus, the monitored patient may not be able to provide useful information to the monitoring service as to the patient's physical condition and location at the time of the emergency. This situation further complicates the desired objective of providing prompt locating, diagnosing and initial treating of the monitored patient who is the victim of a medical emergency.
Prior art patents and publications directed to emergency communications systems will now be mentioned that may be relevant to the personal monitoring and emergency communications system and method of the present invention.
In U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2015/0279187 filed by Kranz on Aug. 18, 2011 and published on Oct. 1, 2015 there is disclosed an invention which describes a set of units able to communicate one with each other by means of cooperating software, mutually control themselves and imagine displays from other units. The invention enables by means of an indicated set or individual units as well, to make remote monitoring of persons and control their location, health condition and capacity. Also, it enables the monitored persons to check their condition on a mobile unit. The objective of the invention according to Kranz is to create a personal emergency alarm device where the monitored person could prevent false alarms from being set off, particularly when monitoring the movement of persons where in the event there is no movement and the person is not in danger, the delay could be preset by the monitored person. Second, to allow monitoring of normal reaction with the option of preventing the alarm and setting the alarm delay by the monitored person. Third, to create a device that would allow monitoring and communication on the entire monitored premises without having to set up phones and sensors in all rooms.
In U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2004/0130446 filed by Chen et al on Jan. 6, 2003 and published on Jul. 8, 2004 there is disclosed a wireless communication and global location enabled intelligent health monitoring system comprising a plurality of wireless medical sensor apparatus 300 for measuring a patient's vital signs on different parts of a patient's body, and a main processing unit apparatus 100 containing system software 500 that uses an active, real-time monitoring method to process a patient's vital signs and location information for providing an alert on location and transmitting an emergency request to a remote patient monitoring station for immediate assistance. Under an urgent situation, the two-way wireless communication, global position data and adaptive location assessment capabilities allow an emergency service vehicle to be dispatched to the patient that carries the system. The system also includes an HTTP web server that can respond to a remote request sent wirelessly either from a patient monitoring station or a patient's family member through a standard Internet browser, anywhere and anytime.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,299,034 issued to Kates on Nov. 20, 2007 there is disclosed a system for wearable electronics devices configured to intercommunicate through wireless communication and, optionally, to communicate with other electronic devices such as cellular telephones, computers, computer networks, and the like. In one embodiment, a communication module receives information from one or more devices and provides audio and, optionally, stimulatory information to the wearer. In another embodiment, an electronic device is provided in a shoe. In yet another embodiment, a wireless (or wired) earpiece is provided to provide audio information to the user. In yet another embodiment, the shoe-mounted device includes a display to show time, caller-id information, temperature, pulse rate and the like.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,312,709 issued to Kingston on Dec. 25, 2007 there is disclosed an alarm system including an alarm signaling device having a transceiver for transmitting an alarm signal. The system includes a responder device for receiving the alarm signal, the responder device having a device for signaling an alarm. The alarm signaling device includes an interface for receiving user information and an activating device for activating the transceiver to transmit the alarm signal in response to the user information. The transceiver device further includes a device for receiving a response signal from the responder device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,233 issued to Hoffman et al. on Apr. 21, 1998 there is disclosed a personal security and tracking system. A signaling system comprises a portable signaling unit, a remote alarm switch device, a central dispatch station, and a wireless communication system such as a cellular or telephone system, and a GPS or alike system. The portable signaling unit and the remote alarm switch may be adapted to be worn at different locations on the person's body. The remote alarm switch may be concealed in the form of a wristband or in the form of any other object such as a broach, pendent, or keychain. When the person in distress activates the remote alarm switch or when the remote alarm switch is removed from the individual by a forceful or unauthorized action or when the signaling unit is removed from the proximity of the remote alarm switch, the portable signaling unit sends a data transmission which includes its location to the central dispatch station.
The portable signaling unit also has manual alarm triggering capabilities so it can be used without the remote alarm switch unit. The central dispatch station receives the data transmission and accurately displays the user identification, stored personal information, nature of the alarm; in addition the location of the portable signaling unit is superimposed on a digitized map at a position corresponding to the location of the person wearing the portable signaling unit. The portable signaling unit can be remotely activated from a central dispatch station to determine and monitor the location of the portable signaling unit.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,417,537 issued to Lee on Aug. 26, 2008 there is disclosed a military wireless communication terminal which includes a global positioning system receiver outputting location information of the terminal, a terrestrial magnetism sensor for sensing azimuth of the terminal, a memory in which map information of an operating area is stored, a location transmitting unit for periodically transmitting terminal location information output from the global positioning system receiver, a radio communication unit for transmitting and receiving signals from a designated originating place, a military force location information processing unit for generating military force location information, an absolute azimuth calculator for correcting sensed azimuth by the terrestrial magnetism sensor and outputting azimuth information, a map information reading unit for reading map information, a location information overlaying unit for overlaying the azimuth information, the military force to location information on the read map information, and a display for showing the read map information with the azimuth information and military force information overlaid.
In U.S. Pat. No. 8,423,000 issued to Dhuna on Apr. 16, 2013 there is disclosed a guardian system for cognitively-impaired individuals. The system includes a wrist phone system having a display, a global positioning system, and a SIM card. The wrist phone system is tethered to a PDA phone so that the PDA phone can be utilized to input information into the wrist phone system. In addition, the PDA phone and the wrist phone system can communicate with one another and with monitoring devices such that if a warning or emergency condition is provided by the individual or by a monitor, a warning message can be sent to a care giver to address the emergency.
In U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2013/0328678 directed to Shechter et al. and published on Dec. 12, 2013 there is disclosed a new and improved electronic monitoring home units and associated installation methods. The present disclosure provides for an electronic monitoring home unit capable of automated confirmation of location and method of automated confirmation of location when a home unit has been installed. The present disclosure provides for a home unit capable of intelligent inclusion zone setting for a home unit and a method of such inclusion zone setting. The present disclosure also provides for a streamlined installation method with automated communication between a home unit and a central monitoring system.
In U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2007/0182548 directed to Raad and published on Aug. 9, 2007 discloses an apparatus for providing information regarding a missing person to a monitoring station. The apparatus and system for locating a person includes a G.P.S. cellular watch removably secured to the person, which acts as a mobile transmitter. When panic buttons on the watch are depressed simultaneously, a location signal is emitted by the watch so that a remote Emergency Control Center (ECC) is informed of the person's location, the panic buttons also automatically starting a photo/video recorder, images from which can be viewed in the Emergency Control Center (ECC), as well as an audio microphone, which allows the ECC to listen, record and save all sounds received by the microphone. The watch face also comprises a security code pad, with a corresponding key pad entry also unique to that apparatus, to lock or unlock the band from the user's wrist, without which entry the apparatus cannot be removed from the person.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a personal monitoring and emergency communications system and method comprising a programmable logic controller that reduces the response time in locating, diagnosing and initially treating a monitored person in an emergency situation by transmitting with dispatch proprietary data including global positioning system location coordinates and current time, date and vital medical measurements directly from an array of sensors and a medical history all located on a mobile wrist worn apparatus carried by the monitored person via an appropriate communication link including a worldwide communication network and directed primarily to a paramedic medical response team located closest to the monitored person where the medical response team is identified, located and communicated with by the programmable logic controller.